Kicks (song)
Encyclopedia
"Kicks" is a song by American
rock
band Paul Revere & the Raiders
. Barry Mann
and Cynthia Weil
wrote the song for The Animals
, but the band's lead singer Eric Burdon
turned it down.
Instead, Paul Revere & The Raiders recorded and released it as a single in 1966. The single was a number one hit in Canada, and reached number four in the United States. "Kicks" was included on the band's fifth album, Midnight Ride
, released in May 1966. A live version of the song was recorded on the band's 1996 Greatest Hits Live compilation album.
Considered one of the earliest anti-drug pop
songs, "Kicks" was composed and released during an era in which pro-hippie
, pro-experimentation, and other counterculture
themes were gaining popularity on U.S. FM radio stations.
The song's message was consequently perceived as outdated by the emerging youth counterculture, as popular artists ranging from The Beatles
to Jefferson Airplane
had written songs whose themes sharply contrasted that of "Kicks." However, the song has received generally positive reviews by music critics in the decades since its release.
In 2004, "Kicks" was ranked number 400 on Rolling Stone
s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
.
," producer Terry Melcher
asked the song's writers, Mann and Weil, to compose a similar song for Paul Revere & the Raiders.
The result was "Kicks," a song originally offered to the Animals, but turned down by lead singer Eric Burdon. Mann and Weil wrote the song as a warning to a friend about the dangers of drug use.
The lyrics consist of a narrator telling a girl that drug use causes addiction and that soft drugs
can lead to the use of hard drugs
.
Musically, the song's lead guitar lines recall the Beatles, while its bass figures are similar to those popularized by The Byrds
. The song contains closer harmonies
and a more euphonious melodic arrangement than the band's previous single, "Just Like Me."
Lead singer Mark Lindsay
's R&B
vocal style, combined with the song's guitar and organ instrumentation, is reminiscent of British bands such as The Kinks
and The Yardbirds
.
chart at number 62.
The song peaked at number four in May,
and spent 14 weeks on the chart.
Within two months of its release, the single had sold 500,000 copies.
It was the highest-charting U.S. hit to that date for Paul Revere & the Raiders, later eclipsed only by 1971's "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)," which peaked at number one.
"Kicks" became the band's first Canadian number one single when it topped the Canadian Singles Chart
in May 1966.
The song is considered the first with an anti-drug message to become a U.S. hit single
.
With the passage of the Communications Act of 1934
, the Federal Communications Commission
was chartered to monitor the radio and TV industries, meaning broadcasts were subject to censorship.
Some censors, based on the song title alone, mistakenly believed "Kicks" to glorify drug use.
Despite the song's commercial success, its lyrics were soon perceived as outdated by young people, as they increasingly experimented with marijuana
and LSD. Meanwhile, songs emerged from popular artists who praised, sometimes cryptically and sometimes overtly, the use of psychedelic drugs. These acts included the Beatles, The Rolling Stones
, the Grateful Dead
, Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds. The messages contained within hit songs such as "White Rabbit
," "Along Comes Mary
" and "Eight Miles High
" were antithetical to that of "Kicks," which contributed to a perception by members of the burgeoning youth counterculture that Paul Revere & the Raiders were part of the Establishment
. Singer–songwriter
David Crosby
, then a member of the Byrds, was upset with the success of the song, particularly as it came just after his group's "Eight Miles High" had been boycotted by many U.S. radio stations.
Crosby described "Kicks" as "a dumb anti-drug song" that took "a falsely adopted stance. With 'Eight Miles High,' we were talking about something very near and dear to our hearts."
On the other hand, Beach Boys
founder Brian Wilson
singled out "Kicks" as one his favorites of Terry Melcher's works.
Music critic Chris Brown of Crawdaddy!
praised the song's vocal, saying "the use of harmony is well-timed and wonderfully executed; and the power in the vocal as the last word of each verse stretches into the chorus is undoubtedly what sells the song."
Bruce Eder of Allmusic called it "a great song that managed to be cool and anti-drug."
In his 2009 book, Everybody Must Get Stoned, author R. U. Sirius
named "Kicks" the number one rock song against drugs.
Sirius said, "With clear and concise lyrics by the famous Mann-Weil songwriting team, there's no cheese on rock's first anti-drug platter."
The song was ranked number 400 on Rolling Stone
s 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
.
Lindsay, with the Mark Lewis Trio, re-recorded the song on the 1990 album Looking for Shelter.
A live version appears on his 1999 album Legends Live: Mark Lindsay & Friends.
Former bass guitarist Phil Volk, with his band Fang & the Gang, performed the song on the 2005 tribute album
Fang Reveres the Raiders.
Mann and Weil revisited the song in their 2004 Off Broadway revue
They Wrote That? The Songs of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil.
Singer-songwriter Del Shannon
recorded a cover
of "Kicks" on his 1966 album This Is My Bag.
Surf rock group The Challengers
covered the song on their album California Kicks, also released in 1966.
The Leathercoated Minds
, a studio band featuring J. J. Cale on guitar and production, performed the song on their 1968 album A Trip Down the Sunset Strip.
Psychedelic
rock band Nazz covered the song on their final album Nazz III
.
In 1974, John Mellencamp
was signed to MCA Records
after Mellencamp recorded a demo
on which he performed the song.
Rock band Earth Quake
recorded a version of the song on their 1977 album Levelled.
Leif Garrett
covered "Kicks" on his 1979 album Same Goes for You.
Naz Nomad and the Nightmares
, a side project featuring members of punk band The Damned, covered the song on their 1984 album Give Daddy the Knife Cindy.
The Monkees
included their version of the song on their 1986 greatest hits
compilation Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees.
Rock band The Flamin' Groovies released "Kicks" as a single from their 1986 album One Night Stand.
In 1999, jazz guitarist Mimi Fox
released the album Kicks, on which her rendition of the song appears.
Garage rock
band The Gants
added a version of the song on their 2000 greatest hits album I Wonder.
Everclear
covered the song on their 2008 album The Vegas Years
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
. Barry Mann
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
and Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
wrote the song for The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, but the band's lead singer Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
turned it down.
Instead, Paul Revere & The Raiders recorded and released it as a single in 1966. The single was a number one hit in Canada, and reached number four in the United States. "Kicks" was included on the band's fifth album, Midnight Ride
Midnight Ride (album)
Midnight Ride is the fifth studio album by American pop rock group Paul Revere & the Raiders. Produced by Terry Melcher and released in May 1966, the album featured the U.S. top five single "Kicks."...
, released in May 1966. A live version of the song was recorded on the band's 1996 Greatest Hits Live compilation album.
Considered one of the earliest anti-drug pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs, "Kicks" was composed and released during an era in which pro-hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
, pro-experimentation, and other counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
themes were gaining popularity on U.S. FM radio stations.
The song's message was consequently perceived as outdated by the emerging youth counterculture, as popular artists ranging from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
had written songs whose themes sharply contrasted that of "Kicks." However, the song has received generally positive reviews by music critics in the decades since its release.
In 2004, "Kicks" was ranked number 400 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
.
Background and composition
After the Animals had chart success with the 1965 single "We Gotta Get Out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
," producer Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher
Terrence P. Melcher was an American musician and record producer, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of American West Coast rock music. His greatest contribution to the culture of the time was producing The Byrds' innovative hits "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and his...
asked the song's writers, Mann and Weil, to compose a similar song for Paul Revere & the Raiders.
The result was "Kicks," a song originally offered to the Animals, but turned down by lead singer Eric Burdon. Mann and Weil wrote the song as a warning to a friend about the dangers of drug use.
The lyrics consist of a narrator telling a girl that drug use causes addiction and that soft drugs
Hard and soft drugs
Hard and Soft drugs are terms to distinguish between psychoactive drugs that are addictive and perceived as especially damaging and drugs that are believed to be non-addictive and with fewer dangers associated with their use...
can lead to the use of hard drugs
Hard and soft drugs
Hard and Soft drugs are terms to distinguish between psychoactive drugs that are addictive and perceived as especially damaging and drugs that are believed to be non-addictive and with fewer dangers associated with their use...
.
Musically, the song's lead guitar lines recall the Beatles, while its bass figures are similar to those popularized by The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
. The song contains closer harmonies
Close harmony
Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
and a more euphonious melodic arrangement than the band's previous single, "Just Like Me."
Lead singer Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay is an American musician, best known as the singer for the group Paul Revere & the Raiders.-Biography:Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon and was the second of eight children...
's R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
vocal style, combined with the song's guitar and organ instrumentation, is reminiscent of British bands such as The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
and The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
.
Release and reception
In March 1966, "Kicks" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart at number 62.
The song peaked at number four in May,
and spent 14 weeks on the chart.
Within two months of its release, the single had sold 500,000 copies.
It was the highest-charting U.S. hit to that date for Paul Revere & the Raiders, later eclipsed only by 1971's "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)," which peaked at number one.
"Kicks" became the band's first Canadian number one single when it topped the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
in May 1966.
The song is considered the first with an anti-drug message to become a U.S. hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
.
With the passage of the Communications Act of 1934
Communications Act of 1934
The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq. The Act replaced the...
, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
was chartered to monitor the radio and TV industries, meaning broadcasts were subject to censorship.
Some censors, based on the song title alone, mistakenly believed "Kicks" to glorify drug use.
Despite the song's commercial success, its lyrics were soon perceived as outdated by young people, as they increasingly experimented with marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and LSD. Meanwhile, songs emerged from popular artists who praised, sometimes cryptically and sometimes overtly, the use of psychedelic drugs. These acts included the Beatles, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds. The messages contained within hit songs such as "White Rabbit
White Rabbit (song)
"White Rabbit" is a song from Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100...
," "Along Comes Mary
Along Comes Mary
"Along Comes Mary" is a song composed by Tandyn Almer, originally recorded in 1966 by The Association, and released on their debut album And Then... Along Comes the Association. It was their first hit and reached number seven on the U.S. charts. It has been covered by several artists, most notably...
" and "Eight Miles High
Eight Miles High
"Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby and first released as a single on March 14, 1966 . The single managed to reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 30 of the UK Singles Chart...
" were antithetical to that of "Kicks," which contributed to a perception by members of the burgeoning youth counterculture that Paul Revere & the Raiders were part of the Establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
. Singer–songwriter
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, then a member of the Byrds, was upset with the success of the song, particularly as it came just after his group's "Eight Miles High" had been boycotted by many U.S. radio stations.
Crosby described "Kicks" as "a dumb anti-drug song" that took "a falsely adopted stance. With 'Eight Miles High,' we were talking about something very near and dear to our hearts."
On the other hand, Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
founder Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
singled out "Kicks" as one his favorites of Terry Melcher's works.
Music critic Chris Brown of Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
praised the song's vocal, saying "the use of harmony is well-timed and wonderfully executed; and the power in the vocal as the last word of each verse stretches into the chorus is undoubtedly what sells the song."
Bruce Eder of Allmusic called it "a great song that managed to be cool and anti-drug."
In his 2009 book, Everybody Must Get Stoned, author R. U. Sirius
R. U. Sirius
R. U. Sirius is an American writer, editor, talk show host, musician and cyberculture celebrity. He is best known as co-founder and original Editor-In-Chief of Mondo 2000 magazine from 1989–1993. Sirius was also chairman and candidate in the 2000 U.S. presidential election for The Revolution Party...
named "Kicks" the number one rock song against drugs.
Sirius said, "With clear and concise lyrics by the famous Mann-Weil songwriting team, there's no cheese on rock's first anti-drug platter."
The song was ranked number 400 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
.
Other versions
Paul Revere & the Raiders performed a live version of "Kicks" on the band's 1996 Greatest Hits Live compilation.Lindsay, with the Mark Lewis Trio, re-recorded the song on the 1990 album Looking for Shelter.
A live version appears on his 1999 album Legends Live: Mark Lindsay & Friends.
Former bass guitarist Phil Volk, with his band Fang & the Gang, performed the song on the 2005 tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Fang Reveres the Raiders.
Mann and Weil revisited the song in their 2004 Off Broadway revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
They Wrote That? The Songs of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil.
Singer-songwriter Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
recorded a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Kicks" on his 1966 album This Is My Bag.
Surf rock group The Challengers
The Challengers (band)
The Challengers were an instrumental surf music band started in late 1962. They were located in Los Angeles. They represented a growing love for surf music and helped make the genre popular...
covered the song on their album California Kicks, also released in 1966.
The Leathercoated Minds
Leathercoated Minds
The Leathecoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett, and released in stereo and mono versions on Garrett's Viva label in 1967 and on the...
, a studio band featuring J. J. Cale on guitar and production, performed the song on their 1968 album A Trip Down the Sunset Strip.
Psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
rock band Nazz covered the song on their final album Nazz III
Nazz III
Nazz III is the third album by American rock band Nazz, released in 1970, one year after the group disbanded. The songs on the album consisted of tracks recorded in late 1968 and early 1969 for an intended double album, to be titled Fungo Bat. When a single album was released instead, an album's...
.
In 1974, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
was signed to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
after Mellencamp recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
on which he performed the song.
Rock band Earth Quake
Earth Quake (band)
Earth Quake was an American rock and power pop band, formed in the San Francisco area in 1966, who released several albums in the 1970s, mostly on Beserkley Records, a company which they were involved in setting up.-Band members:*John Doukas...
recorded a version of the song on their 1977 album Levelled.
Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett is an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles.-Early life:...
covered "Kicks" on his 1979 album Same Goes for You.
Naz Nomad and the Nightmares
Naz Nomad and the Nightmares
Naz Nomad and The Nightmares was a one-off project featuring the members of British punk and gothic rock band The Damned.Naz Nomad and The Nightmares released one album entitled Give Daddy The Knife Cindy in 1984. The album was packaged to look like the re-issue of a 1967 soundtrack album to a ...
, a side project featuring members of punk band The Damned, covered the song on their 1984 album Give Daddy the Knife Cindy.
The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
included their version of the song on their 1986 greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees.
Rock band The Flamin' Groovies released "Kicks" as a single from their 1986 album One Night Stand.
In 1999, jazz guitarist Mimi Fox
Mimi Fox
Mimi Fox is an American jazz guitarist known internationally for her work. She has released seven albums, with 2006's Perpetually Hip reaching #23 on the Billboard "Top Jazz Albums" chart....
released the album Kicks, on which her rendition of the song appears.
Garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band The Gants
The Gants
The Gants were an American garage rock band of the 1960s.- History :One of the few outfits of its kind to emerge from the Deep South, the group was originally known as The Kingsmen when the band got together in 1963 to play R&B covers and the kind of instrumentals popularized by The Ventures...
added a version of the song on their 2000 greatest hits album I Wonder.
Everclear
Everclear (band)
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis , Craig Montoya , and Greg Eklund . Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994...
covered the song on their 2008 album The Vegas Years
The Vegas Years
The Vegas Years is a compilation of cover songs by American rock band Everclear. It was released on April 15, 2008, via Capitol Records.The album features tracks recorded throughout the band's career, including a few tracks that were previously released as B-sides. "American Girl" was recorded in...
.
Personnel
- Drake LevinDrake LevinDrake Maxwell Levinshefski was an American musician who performed under the stage name Drake Levin. He was best known as the guitarist for Paul Revere & the Raiders....
- lead guitar, backing vocals - Mark Lindsay - lead vocals
- Terry Melcher - producer
- Paul Revere - organ, backing vocals
- Mike Smith - drums
- Phil Volk - bass guitar, backing vocals
Chart performance
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles Chart | 3 |